For many people, both young and old, sharing information on social media has become almost second nature these days. When we post something online, we often fail to consider that post being viewed beyond our intended target audience of friends and family.
Richard Guerry is executive director for the Institute for Responsible Online and Cellphone Communication. On Thursday, April 4, he brought his message about responsible use of technology and preventing digital abuse to Cinnaminson parents and their children with his presentation “Public and Permanent” at Cinnaminson High School.
Guerry got his start in online marketing before leaving the corporate world in 2009 to start the nonprofit IROC2. He brings some of this expertise to the table when speaking about how we share personal information online and how advertisers and companies can gain access to and use that information.
“It was far less sophisticated than it is today,” said Guerry of his time in online marketing. “Basically the way they are doing that is they are using the data we are giving them and using A.I. algorithms to make predictors. Imagine an avatar being built about each of us based on the data we provide, and then that avatar and that algorithm are being used to market.”
Guerry’s focus for “Public and Permanent” centers more around how parents can get proactive about their children’s, and their own, internet use. How we can learn to harness these technologies as a tool to become what he calls a “statistic of promise,” rather than ending up a statistic of potential pitfalls that people often fall victim to.
According to Guerry, an example of a “statistic of promise” would be someone who earns a scholarship, internship or job offer based on their use and understanding of technology.
In his presentation, he compares our use of technology to how we use our cars. If used responsibly, cars get us where we need to go and can be used to enrich our lives, but if used irresponsibly, cars can be extremely dangerous. It all depends on how we use them.
When it comes to young people and technology, Guerry returns to his analogy about cars.
“A 13-year-old can get in a car and tell you, gas means ‘go’ and brake means ‘stop’ and wheel means ‘turn’, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have the wisdom to drive that automobile,” said Guerry.
He believes keeping open lines of communication and setting clear guidelines are key for parents who wish to promote responsible use of technology with their kids.
When it comes to setting up parental controls on devices, Guerry advises parents be open with their kids about them. You stand to lose your children’s trust should they discover parental controls on their devices they weren’t aware of.
“I always try and tell parents to frame the conversation with their kids as ‘it’s not you, it’s that you’re about to be connected to a billion people,’” said Guerry.
Through “Public and Permanent,” Guerry hopes to instill in others some of these habits of responsibility when it comes to the ways we use technology, and hopefully those people will, in turn, pass on the knowledge to others.
“What we’re trying to do is establish a thought system, a mindset, and help everybody leave this room understanding that this (information) isn’t something that just you should be leaving the room with, but that you need to be teaching the next generation,” said Guerry.
To learn more about the Institute for Responsible Online and Cellphone Communication, visit iroc2.org.
